What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most kids (22.2% under 18).

Barre has the most people working from home (10.5%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Orange	Barre
People
Population	7,573Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±2.2Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.
	Barre and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.2%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.3%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Orange and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,824±$10kLowest 31% below U.S.	$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below U.S.
	Barre and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,900±$18kHighest 26% below U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$233Lowest 45% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,136Lowest 33% above U.S.	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±11.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Orange and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	22.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	6.6%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barre and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#275 of 282 in MA	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Orange · Ralph C Mahar	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Ralph C Mahar Regional	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	10.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.